AGREENFI, for greener agricultural and rural finance

The development of the agricultural and rural sector is essential in achieving global objectives for reducing inequalities and protecting populations against economic shocks. This sector is also a major source of economic growth for most low-income countries, where a significant proportion of gross domestic product (GDP) and employment rely on agriculture.

However, the agriculture and rural sector has a limited capacity to generate growth and reduce inequalities if the actors in this ecosystem do not have access to financial services tailored to their needs: credit, payment, savings, insurance…

Access for rural actors to formal financial services is essential for making the investments required for the development of their activity, but also for managing risks and improving their resilience capacity. The impacts of climate change also penalize agricultural production and increase the risks of food insecurity, which encourages actors to take actions to strengthen the resilience of territories. As agricultural activity, the exploitation of forests and changes in land use are responsible for a significant share of climate change, financing sustainable practices and preserving natural resources will contribute to mitigating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

To ensure that rural stakeholders have access to adapted financial services as well as customized technical support, AGREENFI provides local financial institutions with financial resources and technical assistance, enabling the transformation of their practices to promote a more sustainable model of agricultural development. It represents a collaborative effort to reduce territorial inequalities and support shared growth.

AGREENFI supports the transformation of the practices of partner financial institutions to promote financing for economic activities, mainly agricultural activities, in rural areas. These activities essentially focus on family farms, producers’ organizations, cooperatives, as well as microenterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises.
 

Integrated and customized range of services

Thanks to a range of financial services tailored to the needs of local financial institutions, as well as customized institutional and technical assistance, AGREENFI also supports the implementation of local public policies for agriculture and rural territories. The ultimate objective is to facilitate access to appropriate financial services and technical, financial and management assistance for rural and agricultural actors. AGREENFI thereby stimulates the development of productive agricultural activities and their integration into value chains, basic services and non-agricultural income-generating economic activities. 

AGREENFI is based on four main operating methods which increase and improve the local range of services (tailored to the specificity of territories) and reduce risks for actors who contribute to financing the sector. The four methods are as follows: 

• Appropriate medium- and long-term financial resources for local financial institutions
• Support for capacity building for financial institutions and actors in the agricultural and rural sector
• A possible investment grant for project initiators/leaders, to promote innovation  
• In some cases, a risk-sharing mechanism for financial institutions.

AGREENFI can support different categories of financial partners and themes related to the development of the agricultural and rural sector, provided a number of criteria are met:

Financial institutions

• Public and private banks
• Microfinance institutions
• Specialized financial institutions 

Thematic areas and operations

• Financing of small and medium-sized farms (particularly family farms or cooperatives)
• Financing of the processing and development of agricultural products and value chains by micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSME)
• Financing of sustainable practices (climate, biodiversity, water, soil, etc.)
• Financing of the forestry/sustainable timber sector
• Financing of fishing
• Financing of economic activities in rural areas: basic services, non-agricultural income-generating economic activities

Range of services

• Medium-term credit
• Long-term credit
• Short-term credit, on a case-by-case basis
• In some cases, guarantees

AGREENFI has been supporting the development of the practices of financial actors and helping countries address development challenges since 2008. Projets can meet various specific goals:

• Promote access for family farms to financial services and thereby allow them to protect themselves against economic shocks
• Develop non-agricultural economic activities in rural areas and support the processing of agricultural products by MSME
• Support the structuring of sectors and contract farming
• Help agribusinesses upgrade to health standards
• Promote the protection of natural resources, as well as climate change adaptation and mitigation
• Assist actors in sustainable forest and fishery management.

By ensuring the durability of production systems and developing productive agricultural practices, AGREENFI contributes to reducing vulnerabilities and to improving incomes and living conditions for rural populations. The program also helps the agriculture sector strengthening its resilience to climate change as well as its contribution to the preservation of ecosystems and biodiversity.